Runeg Skil academy was as beautiful as the brochure. At the center was a silver spire that pierced the clear blue sky. Small dorm buildings surrounded its center, each of them a different color than the next. A series of pathways trailed from the box-shaped dorms to some small booths to the spire, which I assumed was the academic building.
Upon closer viewing, the spire was not only tall, but wide. As the bus rolled up next to it, I felt like I was sitting next to a mountain instead of a school. I couldn't help but gasp.
The other enrollees felt the same.
We all got off the bus and took our time grabbing our belongings from the undercarriage. None of us could stop staring up at the massive tower.
A large set of double doors opened up. They were made of steel and opened very slowly. A tall, slender man slipped out to greet us.
He had black, curly hair and dark blue cat-like eyes. His lips were curled up in a grin which curved even more when he studied us. "What a promising group of players."
He was dressed in black from head to two. The black blazer he wore was open to expose the button up shirt he wore beneath. The jet black shirt was buttoned up to his neck where a gold brooch pinned the topmost button. He wore pristine pants that were devoid of dirt or marks. On his feet was a pair of shiny black dress shoes. With his hands in his pockets, he waited for us to finish grabbing our belongings. When we finished, each of us stood shoulder to shoulder. Anxiety was high among us. This was our first experience with one of the professors here at Runeg. We wanted to be on our best behavior.
"Looks like all of you are present," he said. "A new class of twenty students eager to climb the ranks of King's Rule. I do have to say, I'm quite impressed. From what I heard from my boss, some of you are basically prodigies who picked up the game and mastered it instantly." he clasped his hand to his chest. "It took me five years to even get a grasp of the game. Though now I'm a second level Master and am almost a First level."
There was a series of gasps. Only the best of the best KING'S RULE Players earned the rank of master. And even among them, there was a hierarchy.
As students at Runeg, we were considered Novices, the lowest rank as a Player.
"I do owe some credit to my main deck," he slapped a rectangular box on his belt. It was a black leather with slash marks designed on its cover. "I've had it for nearly ten years. I made it about the time I was in my Junior year here."
More gasps.
The professor reached inside his blazer and retrieved a shiny object from his inner pocket. "I'm sure many of you know that here at Runeg, we try to keep you guy's motivated. To demonstrate that, I'll make your class an offer."
He held the shiny item in his hand so we could all see it. It was a KING'S RULE Card. He only showed us the back of it, so we could see the gold back art and the KING'S RULE logo. In giant sharp letters were "K" and "R" and a gold crown with three gems in it. A red one. A blue one. And a green one.
"Whichever one of you can guess this card gets to keep it. And I guarantee each of you that you'll want it. It's quite expensive."
The talkative kid from the bus stepped forward. "How are we supposed to guess what it is? We have no clue if it's a summon or an item or a spell!" the others nodded in agreement.
The Professor nodded and agreed. "I'll tell you what: I'll give you three hints. After that, you're on your own. Each of you gets to guess what it is only once. If none of you guess what card it is," he smiled devilishly. Shadows fell over the creases in his face as he told us, "I'll tear it up right in front of you."
We all exchanged looks. What kind of madman just rips up KING's RULE cards?!
He held up his pointer finger. "The first hint I'll give you is that this is a Knight Level Summon. Second-" another one of his fingers popped up beside the first one, "It generates red pips. And lastly, it cares about the embedding ability."
There was a buzz of chatter as we tried to figure out what the card was. I decided to remain outside of the conversation. There was no point in discussing among them; only one of us could earn the card.
When the others finished chatting, we lined up and started guessing at the card. "Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Your way off. Nope. Close, but you're thinking of the wrong block. You have no clue what you're talking about. My dear boy, that's a Queen level. I said the card was a Knight level. Nope. You just said the same thing the other kid said. That card is banned. And you are thinking of the wrong card. It's the right set though."
The last guessers remaining were the talkative kid and myself. Defeat showed on the others faces, some more than others. Still, they all turned to us, hope in their eyes. I felt the weight of expectation on my shoulders. My hands were trembling. I had an idea what the card was, but I felt like I was wrong.
The other kid stepped forward confidently and said the exact card I was thinking of. "Ouranos, Fallen Sorcerer."
One of the others smacked a hand to his palm and swore.
The card OURANOS, FALLEN SORCERER fit the criteria. It was a red summon. Knight Level. And it did care about embedding spells into items. She was printed in two sets, one of which was a reprint.
"Are you sure?" the professor asked. He was grinning ear to ear now, his cat eyes widening to study the kid intensively.
The kid started chewing his nails, staring down at the ground as he thought about it. He gulped and then nodded. "I'm positive."
The professor was a freaking sadist. He let a few seconds pass before he spoke. "Wrong!" he yowled. "Still, I'm surprised you know the card. Not many people play it."
The kid seems unphased in his loss. "I play Ouranos."
Everyone gasped.
Only a few decks broke through the meta, or the common playstyle of a set. That meant many other cards slipped under the radar and were hardly played. Ouranos was one of the decks that slipped under the radar but was called a "hidden gem."
The professor stepped back and nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing you play here."